When Molly Hayes' marriage fell apart, she ran home to Hayes Ranch to lick her wounds. What she really wants to lick is foreman Chance McDaniel, the star of all her erotic fantasies. But he had never given her the time of day. Why would he give her his nights?

Kink is a mild term for the kind of sex Chance McDaniel enjoys. But he's learned the hard way not all women can handle his darker desires. He aches to give Molly the ride of her life but fears she'll shy away from his wilder ways.

Will the past become a stumbling block or will both Molly and Chance, once wounded, climb back in the saddle?

When Molly Hayes comes back to the family ranch following her divorce, the passion simmering between her and Chance McDaniel ignites and blazes out of control. But will Chance’s darker desires drive her away?

Molly has been in love with Chance since she was fifteen. With a four year age difference, the timing was never quite right for her to act on her feelings, and when he married someone else, she moved on with her life. Now that they are both single again, Molly and Chance embark on a sexual journey that brings Molly’s secret fantasies to life and fulfills all of Chance’s sexual desires.

Back in the Saddle is a deeply sensual and emotionally satisfying short story. Molly and Chance are multi-faceted, well-developed characters. They bring the emotional baggage of their failed marriages with them, but their shared past history helps lay a solid foundation for their newfound relationship.

Back in the Saddle by Desiree Holt is the perfect book for readers who prefer their cowboys with a little extra kink.

Simone Devereaux has inherited an estate on the Northern California coast after her Aunt Celeste meets with a sudden, mysterious death. The hot neighbor, Trent Grayson, insists Celeste was murdered, and wants to be more than the man-next-door. When clients arrive to pose for their nude portraits over the weekend, Simone realizes she's inherited more than an estate. Two randy poltergeists enter her dreams for a lusty menage, and a budding serial killer threatens her sanity.

Now her Wiccan mother and gypsy father are coming for a visit, just in time to watch Simone lose her heart . . . and possibly her life.

I can honestly say I’ll never look at a Boston Cream pie quite the same after reading The Seduction of Simone. Don’t get me wrong, this book isn’t a light and fluffy, guy-sweeps-a-girl-off-her-feet kind of seduction book. There are two randy spectrals, a plot to murder and lots and lots of steamy imaginative sex. Oh, and pie!

Simone has the fortune, or misfortune depending on your point of view, of greatly resembling her recently deceased aunt. She never imagined inheriting her aunt’s estate meant inheriting the rather tangible ghosts of two wayward brothers. Boy, do they give Simone one fine “welcome to the neighborhood”. Luckily for Simone, her neighborhood also includes hot as hell security agent Trent Grayson. Trent is intimately familiar with not only Simone’s new home but the prior owner as well. I’ll leave off the story summery with that. You won’t want to miss how Trent reacquaints himself with the house and its newest tenant.

Ms. De Sues is a truly talented writer. I was quickly drawn into the characters' lives and their emotions. Simone’s family is pretty untraditional and as such she’s able to accept the appearance and plight of the ghosts who are earth bound and tied to her house. Her background and heritage aid her in discovering who they are and what they need. Trent on the other hand isn’t so ready to befriend the ghosts. I loved watching Trent’s transformation from denial to acceptance of not only the ghosts but his feelings for Simone.

Be prepared for some lovely make-you-squirm and lose-your-breath heat. Ms. De Sues has the sexy stuff down to an art. The plot is thick and smoothly builds to a crescendo that had me turning pages, anticipating the final scenes. Pick up a copy of The Seduction of Simone. You won’t be disappointed!

Noah Sheffield left England to avoid a man’s threat, his trek landing him in St. Louis by way of Harvard Law School. Establishing a successful law firm while sitting on the Federal bench, Noah’s life was perfect—except for one important thing.

Fallon Mitchell had fallen for a man online, one who gave her everything she wanted. Once they met, they knew they would be together—in every way.

But Noah’s past catches up with him and threatens Fallon. Will they accept their own terms of surrender? Or have to swear terms to someone else?

What happens when you find the love of your life and the scourge of your life finds you in the same week?

This happens to lawyer, judge, and dominant Noah Sheffield. Noah meets Fallon through scintillating online chats. Neither realize that they actually work in the same building until they meet face to face. The moment they meet, the feelings from the online chats are confirmed and the dominant has found his perfect submissive. At the same time, a crazed villain from his past is circling closer. The juxtaposition of a burgeoning BDSM relationship and lurking evil keeps your attention.

The dominant/submissive sex scenes are fabulously stimulating and frequent. The hero is tortured by trying to protect the love of his life as best he can. The heroine, although submissive, is strong in her devotion to her master and their future together. And the villain is abominably evil. The climax will hook you and keep you reading past your bedtime.

At times, I felt stronger editing would have sped the book’s tempo. For example when one of the book’s characters is in the hospital, Ms. Poff detailed the doctor’s background. One line would have been sufficient. I also got disoriented when one character would experience a scene then we’d go back and experience it again in the other character’s mind. Although this did add to the strong feelings of these intense scenes, this needed introduction as someone remembering it. I also believe the technique of someone going back and remembering the same scene should be used sparingly, instead of so frequently. The dialogue occasionally seemed too formal, and some word choices felt awkward.

Regardless of these concerns, Ms. Poff has put together a book with great dominant / submissive play and sex. In addition there is a nasty villain with a great climax. It definitely kept me reading.

Rihana has seen a lot in five years working as a psychic for the NYPD, but the murder of a freelance reporter makes her question if she really wants to continue her law enforcement career.

The dark vibe she gets from this case is nothing new, but the main suspect, sexy, enigmatic tattoo artist Heath, leaves her heightened senses burning. She can read him like a book—and she can see his innocence but she can’t prove it. His feral sexual thoughts make her insane with need and her desire for him jeopardizes her job and the investigation.

When she learns the truth about the man who can strip her soul bare with a glance, will she give up everything she knows to flee with him to a safer world? Or will she become a psychic killer in order to destroy a ruthless assassin and put an end to her lover’s exile?

I have to admit, the first reason I requested this book for review was the cover. I love the cover! The second reason was that I have a serious thing for tattoos… guys who have them, guys who give them, the whole process… just a thing for tattoos. Imagine my surprise when I looked at the author and realized this book is the sequel to another book I just loved by Bernadette Gardner!

Slither picks up where Skin left off. I was so happy to see Heath get his story. When I read the first book I wondered how Heath would deal with finding his own mate. I wanted to see him get his… comeuppance. LOL. Heath is the kind of hero that you sometimes want to slap even as you want to jump into his arms. He seems too self-assured and you wonder if he really does know what he’s doing or if he’s faking it. I loved watching him twist and turn and fall head over heels for a woman who has some major issues he’s going to have to deal with if he wants to keep her in his life. It was great fun, not to mention hot and sweaty, to witness his techniques to help Rihana… relax.

Rihana was an interesting heroine. While not anything that hasn’t been seen before, I still really liked her as a heroine. The fact that she works in a world of mostly men who have the “I cant’ see it so I don’t believe it” attitude made for interesting reading that was definitely believable, despite paranormal elements. I really liked that she wasn’t willing to just accept things at face value… instead she dealt with her own intuition and powers and the facts in front of her. Even with her own powers, Rihana’s disbelief was believable, and I found myself relating quite well to her and her reactions. I actually loved getting to see Makena and Darq from Skin and got quite a kick out of Rihana’s reaction to their romance. Her disbelief and Makena’s peace were almost comical in their contrast. All in all, Rihana was an enjoyable and completely relatable heroine that I was glad to get to know better.

While this story was a short one, like the previous Skin, and not really a stand-alone tale, I was still impressed with how much information was passed along without making it into an information dump. The story was well-balanced with the action, backstory and heat that seems to be so much a part of Ms. Gardner’s writing style. My only complaint? I wasn’t ready for the story to end - even though everything in this tale was tied up and handled in a way that didn’t seem rushed, I still wanted to see more of these characters, as well as Makena and Darq. I guess since the author ended it in such a way as to make this reader wonder if there might be more books possible in this story line, I’ll just have to cross my fingers and hope… Well, and read Slither and Skin again a few more times each so I never have to let the characters go.

This is another book by Ms. Gardner that is going on my keeper shelf. If you’re looking for a unique novella with compelling characters, action, adventure and steamy hot sexual adventures in a tattoo shop, then this is the book for you.

When a kingdom crashes down around her, will his love be enough to save her?
Sibyls are old crones. Everybody knows that. So what's a warrior supposed to think when a beautiful young woman turns up in the middle of a siege, says she's a sibyl, predicts the downfall of a kingdom and tells him he's going there with her to prevent it? He does what any hot-blooded warrior would do. He follows the woman. She's intelligent, brave, can see the future, has an ass he can't stop staring at and she knows how to make him laugh. What he doesn't know is that the sibyls have predicted the downfall of the Kingdom of Jareb-Phar if a young sibyl enters their throne room. What they don't know is if her arrival will be coincidental or cause the kingdom's fall. The only thing the warrior does know for sure is that beneath his beautiful, young sibyl's discipline is a woman as lusty and wanton as he is.

I had a rollicking good time reading about a world where the women are respected as warriors as are the men and how one woman one-upped the head commanding warrior with delicious results.

Jessica is a descendent of Earth travelers who ended up on a planet and evolved after three hundred years as a race to be respected and revered. The reason why I mention this is for the purpose of the dialogue. It explains why some of the speech patterns are close to 21st Century vernacular and the author did an awesome job in my opinion of making it work. I really enjoyed which words or phrases the descendants kept from the old language and it was realistically explained. I smiled every once in awhile when they were used during the action.

The heroine is on a quest to prove herself as all good Sibyl do. I found her spunky and smart and delightfully cheeky. In fact, the scene with Thain and the rope had me giggling and smiling throughout. It was a very clever presentation by the author because she used it to illustrate how ingenious Jessica was as a character. Despite her being out of her element, I felt pretty confident that she chose the right moment in time to start her quest and the right person with which to get the job done.

The right person ends up being Thain. I enjoyed the part when Thain first met Jessica. That whole descriptive scene totally entertained me and I chuckled in glee. Here was this big, brawny and in-charge man and this little female ended up rocking his world. I also appreciated how Ms. Campbell has a slow buildup of trust between the hero and heroine. He’s a man in control and it’s tested and prodded until he can’t take anymore and when he breaks, a reader is in for a treat. Thain sure knows how to please a woman and I certainly liked what I read.

The conflict is prompted by external factors but it is Jessica and Thain’s light internal angst and relationship conflict that gets them ready to face the big bad dude. The villain is pompous and totally clueless which made his character believable as a person who gets what he deserves. The fruition of the prophesy was done on a grand and noble scale. Once again I found myself swept away by a descriptive scene that reminded me of ancient Rome. Very cool.

The only secondary character of note is Jessica’s sister. I met her in the beginning and I initially thought the book was to be about her. I think that was a tease. And I’m hooked because of Jessica’s last comment. I like that familial loyalty and I suspect that there’s another book coming about her sister, which I will absolutely be thrilled to read. I enjoyed the world building that Ms. Campbell did for this story and look forward to visiting again.

As My Warrior Commands is an engaging and sometimes humorous romance between two people who know how to set the pages on fire. The pace is brisk and the dialogue witty and crisp. I can’t imagine anyone not having a good time reading this book because the characters have a way of drawing a reader in and making time fly. It has a romantic happily ever after that satisfied me on all levels and even then, Thain made me smile. I am really happy I read this book and would recommend it to my friends.

Emma has just been promoted, a huge deal for the only female Enforcer. She celebrates her last night before her six-week assignment by going out for some dancing and fun with her two best friends. When she meets two men, she decides to end her night with both.

Heath and Dracon are fantasy come to life. They have incredible bodies and know how to use them to bring her extreme pleasure…over and over again. None of them want the night to end. So imagine their surprise when they find out they’re to be partnered, a new triad squad that could be the future of the Enforcers.

Is it possible to mix business with pleasure? Emma can’t wait to find out.

With a fun and feisty kick-butt heroine, Enforced Love dispels old prejudices and shows exactly what a woman can do in a man's world, even a futuristic one. Coupling a fun plot, great characters and some deliciously hot love scenes, Lacey Thorn's Enforced Love is a fast-paced fun read.

Emma is the only female enforcer. She worked hard to earn her position and has finally gained the attention of her superiors who have just promoted her. A celebratory night on the town, before she ships off, introduces her to Dracon and Heath. After a night of lots of fun and little sleep the three part ways only to later discover they are to be partnered for the next six weeks in one of the most dangerous quadrants in the territories.

As the only female enforcer Emma has been placed in a rather conspicuous position. She never set out to be a crusader for women, but to some extent that is what she has become. Emma is a modern woman, but she also reminds me of the suffragettes of the past. "Because I am a woman, I must make unusual efforts to succeed. If I fail no one will say "she doesn't have what it takes" they will say "women don't have what it takes."' Clare Boothe Luce. Emma says as much to her new partners, not quite as eloquently but just as effectively. What's great about Emma is that she's not crusading, she just does her job and does it well, that speaks loud enough, most of the time. When people still need convincing she's not above kicking butt and taking names.

Dracon and Heath have been partners for a long time, and are reluctant to add a third member to their team especially a female. While they are not happy to be adding a female to their team, they are also not blindly chauvinistic in their beliefs. After getting over the initial shock of who Emma is and seeing some of her abilities, they are quite adaptive to the idea of her partnering with them. While Dracon is more vocal of the two it is actually Heath who is the alpha of this duo, he quietly steers things along to his liking. This causes some problems when Dracon and Emma find out that Heath has been keeping secrets. Ultimately it is up to Emma to decide if the three of them can be partners both in work and play.

Dracon and Heath are both well written characters; they are much more than your standard issue street soldiers. Emma is fun and feisty with exuberance for both her work and her life. With red hot romance, wonderfully written characters, and an intriguing plot this book has everything.

Rosalie O’Kelley is not above using her feminine wiles to secure much-needed supplies for her fellow townspeople. But when Union Colonel Eric Skaarsberg is put in charge, Rose’s usual tactics fail miserably. In exchange for supplies, she comes to a scandalous arrangement with him. She agrees to become his willing plaything—to fulfill his every physical need, eagerly and without hesitation.

Eric is duty-bound to ferret out the spy who has been leaking information to the Confederates. All evidence points to the passionate belle who readily responds to every touch and taste he metes out. One by one, he strips away Rose’s secrets, but Eric is not satisfied with owning the she-Rebel’s luscious body. He must uncover the truth of her past at any cost—even if it means the destruction of them both.

"Part of her wanted to go in his room and finish what he’d started. Another part wanted to retrieve the pistol he’d left on the dresser and blow his damn head off."

I absolutely fell in love with spirited Southern Belle Rose the moment she thought this about the Yankee Colonel who was boarding in her house.

Widow Rosalie O’Kelley is tormented by too many losses from the Civil War. She sees no future, only what she can do to make life survivable for those around her now. Yet her flirting to gain supplies, has brought suspicion upon her. Union Colonel Eric Skaarsberg is ordered to Florence, Alabama to gain the evidence to prove that Rose is spying. Already haunted by trusting the wrong women, Eric is determined not to fall for Rose’s wiles. But despite their innate distrust of each other, they are instantly attracted to each other. Although they appear to reach an unholy bargain, their relationship is mutually desired and consummated. And despite their consuming passion for each other and the hot sex, they continue to fight their feelings for each other. Rose tries to continually remind herself that he’s the devil, and in one of the lines that made me laugh out loud her trusted servant reminds her “Bible says the devil was God’s purtiest angel,”.

Both Eric and Rose must grow beyond their horrible doubts; trust each other, their own feelings, and believe in a future together.

Ms. Glass does a beautiful job of bringing the harshness of the Civil War to life in Florence, Alabama. I found this especially interesting since Alabama is seldom used as a plot setting for a civil war romance. The history did not overshadow the romance, merely illustrated the awful external and internal conflicts Rose and Eric were facing.

I did have trouble bonding with the hero and heroine. When you first meet them, they’ve put on masks to accomplish their goals. But keep reading, as the masks come off you can’t help but fall in love with all the multiple facets of these two.

If you love civil war romances with two strong characters fighting past demons to fall in love, go no further. This one’s utterly beautiful.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Lucien Durand and Colin Ferguson have lived and loved as partners in life and art for more than twenty years. But happily ever after is never easy. Over time, Lucien begins to resent how Colin's work overshadows his own art, and their relationship falls apart. Colin leaves with nothing but a backpack, and Lucien goes on alone, getting some counseling, developing a practice in raku pottery, and waiting for what would happen next. He never expects that Colin will send his nephew James to train as a potter. With James staying in Lucien's home, a door will open between the former lovers, firing their hearts.

Although fire can destroy, it can also rebuild. Lucien and Colin are successful artists and have been partners for twenty-five years. A horrible fight five years ago had Colin walking out without a word but neither man has let go. They can’t seem to find their way back to each other until Colin’s nephew comes to Lucien’s ranch and asks to be taught pottery. While helping the young man, Lucien decides to mend his relationship with Colin no matter what it takes. However when sparks fly, the resulting fire burns hot.

Anagama Fires is the story of long time lovers and partners that struggle to find a way to get back after a horrible fight. The story is very cagey with information though and it takes nearly half the novella to figure out what happened between the two lovers that has kept Colin in Thailand for five years. Unfortunately you never find out exactly what happened except that Lucien was desperately unhappy and took that out on Colin, who responded by simply leaving. After years of therapy Lucien is in a better place but angry with Colin for staying away so long and Colin plays his typical games from a far.

The two are the main relationship and they have a push and pull that may please some readers while turning others away. Colin is a strong personality, so much so that he dominates the book with his antics. He runs over anyone and everyone with little consideration or care, especially Lucien - and Lucien always forgives this behavior out of love. Lucien long ago decided that he’d rather be with Colin than not be, so he accepts Colin’s aggressive behavior. This puts Lucien as a much weaker personality, willing to bend over to make the relationship work and not likely to be a hit with all fans.

What works the best though is the incredible history and detail that goes into the raku pottery and the anagama fire. There is so much information afforded it may overwhelm most readers, but it’s clear the author knows the process intimately. Perhaps too much of that is included since it definitely becomes the main focus over the characters and side romance but it’s such an interesting hook that I can’t fault the story for it. The romance is touchy and prickly from a lot of angles but the pottery detail is intricate, complex, and thorough. This will definitely appeal to readers looking to learn about pottery with a dash of romance.

In Pillow Talk by Maya Banks, Zoe is a woman in a committed relationship with her boyfriend Chase. Then one night, Chase reveals his number-one fantasy, which involves his two best buddies. Is Zoe game? She sure is, because it opens the door for a secret fantasy all her own. In Shayla Black's Her Fantasy Men, a girly-girl named Kelsey plays football, craves action movies, and loves knocking back a cold beer with her three best friends-all male. Yet she's never seemed sexually interested in any one of these hot guys. So what does Kelsey want? A fantasy come true for all four of them.

I must own up to the fact that I have been a fan of Maya Banks and Shayla Black from the beginning of their respective writing careers. All their books line my bookshelves and I promote the purchase of their books whenever possible. To me no one does erotic romance better, so I can say with absolute certainty, that the combination of these two talented ladies into one anthology is a stroke of pure genius. And ask why didn’t it happen sooner?

Here is the premise…one woman and three men, 2 stories, hence, Four Play. In each short story we have our heroine and her three best male friends, a little stir of the pot, fantasy revelations and boom, we have ourselves spontaneous combustion!!!

In Maya Banks’ Pillow Talk, Zoe is a devoted lover to firefighter Chase who shares their home with firefighters Brody and Tate. A little pillow talk later, Chase learns Zoe’s fantasy, she learns his and, naturally, it will all involve their roommates. Add an extra firefighter friend and a pick up in an out of town bar with some voyeurism thrown in for good luck, mix it all together and sit back and watch. But be warned, exactly when does sooo much become too much?

In Shayla Black’s, Her Fantasy Men, Kelsey is secretly in love with her two closest friends and her dominating boss. Her fantasy includes all of them. Can they deliver or is that just another fantasy that can’t come true? Does she really want the willingness of one over the domination of another or just the great boy next door? Or maybe she requires just a combination of all three.

These are two great stories, with very hot, sweaty, exhausting sex and very graphic and enticing dialogue. Honestly, who doesn’t love a firefighter? And with this many in two stories how can you go wrong. This is fun and engaging without being the same old-same old. If you are going to read erotic romance read what should be considered the gold standard. Read everything by Maya Banks and Shayla Black, but especially Four Play.

As the pretty daughter of the town whore, Shanna Davies has always tried hard to toe the line. But she just can’t help it. Her boyfriend, Bo Crenshaw, has lured her untamed spirit out to play once too often. It’s time to get the hell out of Dodge and make a new start where no one knows her past. After she fulfills one last, wicked fantasy.

Shanna is Bo’s first everything. First kiss, first sexual playmate, first love. Yet he’s never managed to convince her that he accepts her—good girl and bad—just as she is. So, she wants a memorable send off? No problem. He’ll give her one that’ll make her think twice about leaving.

On the appointed night, Shanna expects nerves. Yet once she crosses the threshold, the prospect of surrendering to a night of unrestrained passion with Bo and the three Kinzie brothers makes her mouth water—and her courage dry up.

But she asked for it, and now she’s not about to blink first in this game of sexual chicken…

There is the old adage to be careful what you wish for because you may surely get it. There is also the old train of thought that you will surely find your heart’s desire right in your own backyard. Take both those thoughts, combine them and you come up with Delilah Delvin’s Four Sworn.

Shanna is a girl that just can’t wait to blow the town she grew up in and begin again in a new town. Bo is her best friend with benefits and the one person who believes she is not her mother’s daughter; her mother being a woman who never met a man she didn’t like.

During one night of passion Shanna divulges her greatest fantasy, a night of fun which would include more than one man. Bo, being the true friend that he is, as well as completely and totally in love with her, arranges to make her fantasy come true.

Enter the Kinzie men, three brothers who believe in the adage “share and share alike”. They are out there looking for their one true love that will be able to love all of them and let all of them love her exclusively.

Blend all this together and what you get is explosive, emotional and endearing, something Delilah Devlin does better than anyone. This is hot, sexy fun and a heartwrenching trip through what one woman believes will bring her great fulfillment but what ends up openning all their eyes to what is real and what is not; what matters and what doesn’t. This is book three of the Lone Star Lover series and leaves you waiting for the next installment. Be aware that this is a short story and not a full novel but it is a fun romp through fantasyland. It does leave me with one question, who do you know that you would divulge your inner most fantasy to and would you really want it to come true???

Laith d’Amato never thought to form a mate-bond outside his race, but when he sees Cyan Dupre, the human female the scientists on Belizair have matched him to, he’s more than willing to claim her. Exquisite. Feminine. Intoxicating. Dreams of sharing her with Rykken d’Vesti become a vision of certainty for Laith. Only by including Rykken in the mate-bond will there be hope for Belizair.

One look at Cyan and the mating fever of his race swamps Rykken. Without the wings of the Vesti and Amato she seems fragile, in need of a strong male to care for her. It’s not the Vesti way, but for the sake of friendship and the future of Belizair, Rykken will fight his genetic imperative and cultural upbringing. He’ll join with Laith in the first sharing of a human female.

Lethal grace and poetic beauty, Cyan finds it impossible to resist Laith and Rykken. They’re erotic fantasy and artistic inspiration—but loving them comes with a choice between doing what’s right for her heart or what’s right for her art.

Two males, one full of hope, and one with deeply ingrained beliefs, might be the first to try and save their respective races. Can they convince the woman of their dreams that she truly belongs with them before their time is up? Can they work past a lifetime of beliefs to actually share a woman between the two of them? In this First Sharing, anything is possible.

In this prequel to the Fallon Mates series, Jory Strong gives us the tale of the very first Amato and Vesti to share a mate. As a fan of Ms. Strong’s work, I was already familiar with the world of the Fallon Mates, and had often wondered about Cyan and her men as they were mentioned in the other books of the series. It was great to see how the whole process of finding a mate and sharing her was first implemented.

The characters in this story were, as typical of Ms. Strong, wonderful to behold. Laith d’Amato was a driven and determined hero. From the moment he sees Cyan, he knows she is perfect for him - and Rykken. If only he can convince Rykken along with Cyan, everything will be perfect. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about how he planned to convince the two to go along with the plan. Rykken was… whew… he was hot, in a very dominant way. The struggle between his primitive instincts and what he knew and trusted must be done made for very compelling reading. Cyan made me wish to be like her when I grow up. She was strong-willed, and yet very mellow – a very good combination that balanced out the personalities of Laith and Rykken. I couldn’t have asked for three more interesting and compelling characters.

Jory Strong has a very fascinating world in her Fallon Mates stories, and I love to visit whenever I can. These are all books I’ve read more than once whenever I feel the urge to experience – vicariously of course – a ménage that will steam up my ereader screen. In the case of First Sharing, Ms. Strong has given this reader a wonderful look at how it all started as well as two more heroes to drool over. Whether you’re already a fan of Jory Strong, or you’re brand new to the world of the Fallon Mates, you can’t go wrong with this series, especially this story. First Sharing is most definitely a keeper in my book.

When Barnabas rescues a stranger from a storm, he knows he's in for a tempestuous time. Lust wars with more altruistic feelings to paralyze Barnabas until the stranger makes the first move for him -- and then there's no stopping either of them.

Inside, outside, against the wall, and even occasionally on the bed. But Barnabas starts to wonder if the sex is a distraction from something more important, something his English language challenged new lover isn't saying. When the truth is finally revealed, the betrayal cuts deep, and for Barnabas, it may be too little, too late.

Silence never felt so sweet. When local artist and somewhat reclusive Barnabas finds a stranger washed up on the shore during a terrible storm, he doesn’t think of anything but saving the man. Later he realizes his mysterious find can’t speak at all, but that doesn’t stop the two from finding a common language in touch. Sparks fly and Barnabas realizes he has entire conversations with the stranger through touch, sight, and emotion. But Barnabas’ lover is not simply human and the discovery throws Barnabas into a whirlwind of emotion and questions what is the right thing to do.

Tease is an interesting story in that one of the characters, later nicknamed Tease, can’t speak so there is no dialogue between the two. Thus the story is told entirely from Barnabas’ third person perspective. Barnabas believes he can understand what Tease is trying to tell him through his eyes and his touch. This is pretty questionable since Barnabas is quite often ignorant of what Tease is trying to say and just makes up what he wants to believe.

The emotion between the two is certainly there and they have quite a lot of sex. The story is a novella but there are considerable amounts of sex scenes involved. The connection is initially through sex but later Barnabas struggles with what to do about his lover’s true nature. Barnabas is not always a nice guy and he fears being alone so much he considers forcing Tease to stay with him. This isn’t just a passing whim either as Barnabas goes through periods of extreme selfishness, petulance, sulking, and petty revenge. As I said, he’s not always a likable character in many ways. The final resolution is not exactly what I thought would happen either so it’s nice that the tension is kept until the end.

Overall this succeeds, in that it’s a very different story when one of the main characters doesn’t speak at all. This forces the other to speak for him and often in error. Also this makes the story very internal with Barnabas frequently musing, and a lot of sex. In a wealth of paranormal stories, this certainly stands out as something entirely different and unique and thus worth reading. It’s got a few bumps but the story takes chances and has some really good ideas.

A new bride, the inexperienced Lady Amberly has no idea she isn’t passionate enough to please her husband until she overhears two prostitutes talking about his current mistress. Determined to become her husband’s only lover, Lady Amberly turns to a mysterious man named Jack to learn more about her own body and to find out how to please a man. Jack blindfolds her, then takes her to heights of passion she hadn’t known existed. Now it’s time to use what she’s learned during those lessons to seduce her husband and keep him happy in the marital bed.

What would you be willing to do to stop your husband from finding his pleasures with a mistress?

Melloney, Lady Amberly has been married to her husband Edmund, Earl of Amberly, for six weeks when she finds out her husband has a mistress. Having lost her mother at a young age, Melloney has no idea how a wife should act intimately with her husband. To learn to be a proper wife, Melloney boldly meets with her husband’s former mistress. Upon meeting his former mistress, Lady Amberly arranges lessons with the mysterious “Jack” to teach her how to keep her husband happy.

Over the series of lessons in Jack’s arms, a blind-folded Lady Amberly learns pleasure and that proper restraint in bed is not a good thing. This is a really sweet story of Lady Amberly learning about pleasure and how to please her husband. Although a little predictable, I absolutely enjoyed Melloney’s lessons. The sex scenes were good. The twist isn’t what you might think, but really cute and something any woman would know.

Melloney, Lady Amberly is a sweet, gutsy heroine who loves her husband and wants to make him happy. She’s been incredibly sheltered and doesn’t have a clue how to act with her husband. I’ll admit I was a little apprehensive of how enthusiastic she was for her lessons, but you’ll understand at the end. Edmund, Earl of Amberly is in some ways just as lost as his wife in how to deal with her. He’s restrained himself due to how he believes a wife should be treated in Regency society. Although this might seem like two really restrained people, Ms. Mathews makes you understand their motivations and identify with two people trying to do the right thing. Seeing these two become a happy husband and wife is really sweet.

This is a sweet little gem of a Regency romance that will leave you with a smile on your face.

" RBN

~ Stockholm Surrender

~ Trouble In Thigh High Boots

# Blood of Luna

~ Skye High

~ Climbing Her Tower

# Ava's Pleasure

* Shadow of the Wolf

^ Seduction of My Proper Wife

My Immortal

Believe

Blue Light Special

Shut Up and Kiss Me

~ Teacher Her Manners (Sizzler)

^ Blood of Luna

Love Beyond Sight

The Crawford Boys Series

Turkish Delights

Shut Up & Kiss Me

Fire Woman

RATING EXPLANATION:

1 Star -- At this time, we at Whipped Cream do not post these reviews. If the book was boring, badly edited, poorly written, had little or no plot, stilted dialogue, and/or unsympathetic characters, we will decline the review.

2 Stars -- Not wonderful, but tolerable. There may be some minor editing glitches but not enough to stop you reading. Not a wall-banger, but nothing you'd re-read. This is a book you would borrow from the library - not buy- and never check out again.

3 Stars -- Good. Mostly enjoyable. You made it through and didn't consider it a waste of time or money. The story was strong enough or the conflict tight enough, so even when the book faltered, it was able to draw you back in and keep you. There's a chance you'll recommend it to a friend, but it wouldn't go on your keeper shelf.

4 Stars-- Very Good. You're glad you were the one who got to review this book. You would probably buy it and would definitely recommend it to your friends. You liked the characters and the plot. The writing style was good and the editing clean.

5 Stars -- Great! You would definitely buy this book. You would definitely recommend it to your friends. You really loved the characters and the plot and would consider looking for this authors back list or making her an autobuy. The writing and editing were superb.

WC Best Book - For a book or story that is truly exceptional. You think about it when you're not reading it. You wonder what happens to the characters when you finish. You would absolutely buy everything else this author had to offer. The highest praise - and reserved for only a few.

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